Stand
by Becky Sky
Summary: After a fall, it's the getting up that says how strong you are- if you're worthy to be a hero.And after getting up, you still have to stand...
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Song is "Stand" by Rascal Flatts. Please review!**

Sweat beads formed on Jay's brow as he gripped his sword tightly, his heart racing, and his mind reminding him that this was it: the last stand against Cronus. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he knew that he had to make his move.

"Prepare to be defeated, Cronus!" he yelled, and lunged. But the God of Time simply smiled, his stony amber eyes glinting, as though he knew something Jay didn't.

"Jay, no!" Theresa's warning shriek came too late. Cronus' scythe sliced Jay's arm, leaving a trail of blood as Jay slumped to the ground, groaning as pain split his nerves, racking his brain. Explosive lightning seemed to strike him inside again and again.

Footsteps resounded on pavement as his friends rushed towards him, and he felt himself being moved so that his head rested on Theresa's lap. He squinted up at six worried pairs of eyes; one a deep forest green, one a dark hazel, a pair of dark blue ones, two pairs of dark brown, and one a deep blue. Theresa, Atlanta, Archie, Herry, Odie and Neil; his friends here to help him and try to make the pain go away. Yet Jay felt alone, as though none of them could understand.

"I've failed," he faltered. A single tear caressed his cheek, although from whom he didn't know. When another crawled down it, he realized it was _him_.

**You feel like a candle in a hurricane  
Just like a picture with a broken frame  
Alone and helpless  
Like you've lost your fight  
But you'll be alright  
You'll be alright  
**

"You haven't failed, Jay," Atlanta protested. She glanced nervously over her shoulder. "Cronus is still around here somewhere. You can still get him."

"You have to get up!" Theresa said firmly. "You can't let Cronus kill you."

"Inside or out," Archie added, and the others all nodded.

"Jay, you're our leader," Herry stated reasonably. "Who better to teach us what getting back up on our feet really means?"

He stared at all the hopeful faces, so full of love and admiration for him. Even Neil looked concerned, and he knew that he wanted to defeat Cronus just as badly as he wanted to go home and shower. Odie had stopped taping at his computer, and was busy trying to bandage his arm. Atlanta and Archie were giving him their puppy dog looks, and Herry was standing guard as the teens tried to help their fallen friend. Theresa was deep in thought, a light blue glow about her as she focussed her energy into discovering Cronus' whereabouts.

He couldn't let them down.

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Then you stand  
**

He struggled to his feet, arousing Theresa from her concentration. The others all stopped what they were doing and smiled at one another.

"Lead us on, Jay," Odie declared, exchanging grins with his brawny friend as they followed Jay towards Herry's truck.

"Where is he, Theresa?" he inquired. The red head smirked. "Where he thought nobody could find him," she answered.

The custom truck screeched into the parking lot of the beach, and the seven teens hopped out, heading towards the rental store to get a boat. Within minutes they were motoring out towards a secluded island. Stormy winds picked up, and Jay felt them buffeting his face, sending his light brown bangs to slap against the sail as he steered them. Theresa and Atlanta were busy making sure their weapons were ready, and Odie was trying not to get sick, while Archie closed his eyes and tried to meditate and forget about the water, as Theresa had taught him.

"There's Cronus!" Herry cried, pointing to a rocky outcrop of the isle. Jay got them as close to it as possible, and then he brought the boat to the nearby beach, deserting it and rushing to help his friends.

**Life's like a novel  
With the end ripped out  
The edge of a canyon  
With only one way down  
Take what you're given before its gone  
Start holding on, keep holding on  
**

But as he approached them, he heard the telltale signs of trouble: silence. He leaped behind a bush and peered around it to see that his friends lay gagged and tied in a clearing, and Cronus stood over them.

"You foolish mortals, you thought you could win," he was saying. "Well, I think the sharks will enjoy a meal." He indicated the cliff, where below, steel gray fins protruded from the waves. "They haven't eaten for a while." He chuckled.

Jay's eyes widened with horror, and anger rose within him. "Over my dead body," he snapped, stepping out were they could see him. His friends started to shake their heads vigorously, begging him to stay away. Cronus grinned.

"You stepped right into the trap, my boy," he said. His giant minions stepped from around a large pile of rocks, where they had been concealed. They advanced towards him, arms outstretched to grab him. He dodged and rushed Cronus, sword drawn, anger fuelling him to keep going. "Let them go!"

**Life's like a novel  
With the end ripped out  
The edge of a canyon  
With only one way down  
Take what you're given before its gone  
Start holding on, keep holding on  
**

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Yeah then you stand.  
**

Cronus seemed surprised, and he yelped as Jay cut his arm, drawing blood. Before he could react, Jay had ran to his friends and cut their bonds, and soon seven heroes stood together once more. At least, almost all. Cronus grinned, and sent a spurt of power to engulf Theresa, whose ropes had yet to be undone. He used them to transport her over to the edge of the cliff, where she hovered.

"Jay!" Atlanta cried. "Theresa!" He turned, and nearly fainted in horror. The others turned and gasped at their helpless friend, whose big green eyes were wide with anger and fear.

"So, what are you going to do, young heroes?" Cronus spat. "Make your choice: capture me, or save your friend?"

Jay turned with his sword at the ready. "Both." He struck at Cronus, only to have Cronus' sickle blast him away. He landed on the rocky cliff near where Theresa was suspended. Breath knocked out of him, he could hear the god's chuckle of victory.

"Point for me," he laughed. But Jay wasn't about to give up. He scrambled to his feet at the moment that Cronus let Theresa go, sending her falling towards the ocean. Jay was ready to be a hero; Jay was ready to defeat Cronus and send him to Tarturus where he belonged, but even more so Jay was ready to stay true to himself and save his team member and friend. He leaped towards Theresa, catching her arm just as she fell past him. He nearly staggered over the cliff from her weight, but Herry picked him up and helped him drag her to safety. They quickly cut her bonds, and she dusted herself off and smiled gratefully at them.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

**Everytime you get up  
And get back in the race  
One more small piece of you  
Starts to fall into place  
Ooohhh**

**  
**

Jay sighed and whirled around to see that Cronus had made his escape. "He's gone!" he cried despairingly. Archie patted his arm consolingly.

"We're a team, Jay. We'll find him again eventually." Jay nodded; he knew Archie was right.

Later on that day, Jay sat alone on the roof of the brownstone, thinking about what he had done wrong that day: he had almost let Theresa die; he had let them get captured in the first place…

"Jay?" He turned to see Theresa walking hesitantly towards him. "Are you alright?"

He shook his head. "You nearly got killed today."

"So?"

"It was my fault, Theresa. If…"

"It doesn't matter, Jay. Who cares how many times you fall down, as long as you get back up again? You can blame yourself forever, Jay, but it doesn't change the fact that you're a hero. Because when you find yourself in a difficult situation, you never give up. That's what makes you our leader. So stop worrying, okay?" She sat beside him, and squeezed his hand tightly.

He smiled gently. "Thanks, Theresa."

She stared at him thoughtfully for a moment. "No. Thank _you_, Jay."

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Then you stand  
Yeah then you stand.  
Yeah then you stand.  
Yeah baby  
ohhhhhhhhh  
ohhhhhhhhh  
ohhhhhhhhh  
ooohhhhhhh  
then you stand**

She stood up, leaned down quickly to give him a kiss on the cheek, and then she hurried away, leaving Jay to stand and look up at the twinkling stars, feeling stronger than ever. Inside and out.


	2. Chapter 2

Atlanta was sick and tired of being trod-upon by her mom. Every time she called home, it was a big explanation about why she didn't want to come home to visit. Each and every time it ended with an argument, and someone's feelings being hurt. Usually hers.

"Mom, for the last time, I can't make it!" she lied, biting her lip at her mother's disbelieving response.

"Yes, dear, like every other time. I'm beginning to think you're trying to avoid me!"

Atlanta's temper flared, and her resolve to keep it under control snapped. "Well, maybe if you'd stop trying to change me, I wouldn't try!" she yelled, slamming the phone down and collapsing on her bed. She tried not to cry as she stared out her window at the rain trickling down the pane. The feeling of being unwanted tore her open inside, and for once she questioned why she was so unruly and wild. The answer didn't come, and she wondered if she could ever face her mother again. Not that she regretted what she had said; it only made her angrier. Every time she had tried to have a decent conversation with her mom, she had made it hard by complaining that Atlanta should be more like other girls, more prissy and happy all the time.

**You feel like a candle in a hurricane  
Just like a picture with a broken frame  
Alone and helpless  
Like you've lost your fight  
But you'll be alright  
You'll be alright  
**

But her mother didn't know that it's hard to be happy when you're in a decreasingly-depressing situation. It wasn't her mother who was putting her life on the line fighting the god of time. Add to that that Atlanta wasn't that type of girl naturally anyway, and her mother was in a living nightmare.

Atlanta grabbed all the old yearbooks that she had kept for the sake of entertainment and flipped through them, searching for the one with her eighth grade year. She found it. Back then she had had long black hair, just like her mom, and freckles the size of ink blots. Her mother had urged her to try out for the cheer-leading squad. Atlanta smirked at the memory…

_Thirteen year old Lannie sat at the kitchen table, gulping down her milk as her mother ate her porridge at the place across from her._

"_I hear from Abigail that…"_

"_Abigail? That snooty, prissy…"_

"_Atlanta!" Her mother rebuked sharply. "She's a nice girl."_

_Yeah, if you're the mean, snobby type, she said inwardly, but she stayed quiet. _

"_I hear from her that cheer-leading tryouts start next week. You should try out."_

"_Nah, I'm trying out for track and field instead."_

"_That wasn't an option."_

"_Mom! I don't want to join a bunch of girls who freeze their buts off wearing mini-skirts while trying to hop around for warmth. I want to be part of the action. It's the Northwest Territories, Mom. If you're a cheerleader, you're destined to freeze!"_

"_That's why we're called 'cool'," a high-pitched, melodious voice rang out. Lannie turned, and tried not to groan. Abigail appeared in the doorway with her red and gold mini-skirt around her narrow waist and short bra-type shirt supporting her chest. Her long black hair was tied back in one long pony tail, and her freckles had long since faded away. _

_For a twin sister, there was no way Lannie was ANYTHING like Abbi. Mom jumped up and hurried to embrace her daughter. Lannie found this the perfect time to rush out the door before anyone could say a word._

Atlanta had not spoken to her sister since she had been recruited to fight against Cronus. She had tried to avoid speaking to her mother as well, but her mother was a determined woman, tracking Atlanta's moves and always keeping in touch, as great a huntress as Atalanta herself.

"I wonder why Mom even bothers with me," Atlanta asked her bedroom ceiling as she lay across her bed. "She's got her perfect daughter already, and two cute, silly sons. She doesn't need me, and I don't need her." She sighed. But she did need family, and she wanted a sister. Just one that understood.

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Then you stand  
**

"But we need you," A voice from outside of her door proclaimed, and she rushed to swing it open. "You dork!" she exclaimed as it revealed her purple-haired friend. She was so happy to see him that she gave him a huge hug, which he eagerly returned. She didn't even complain about him eavesdropping on her private conversations.

"What's up?" he asked. She sighed and gestured to the phone. "I just got off the phone with my mom. As usual, she's trying to change me into what she thinks is the perfect little girl. She just doesn't understand!"

"Atlanta, maybe she doesn't understand because you don't let her."

She stared at him, aghast. "WHAT? Whose side are you on?"

"The right one," he answered, and held up his hand for her to keep quiet when she opened her mouth to protest. "Did you ever include your mom in what you did, or did you just take her for granted?"

**Life's like a novel  
With the end ripped out  
The edge of a canyon  
With only one way down  
Take what you're given before its gone  
Start holding on, keep holding on**

Atlanta thought for a moment. "I guess… I kinda took her for granted… But what's your point?" she rushed.

"My point is that maybe she's trying to change you so that she can feel as though she's done a good job raising you. She wants to know that's she's made an impression on you, to be the right person. But if you don't include her in your life, she has to force her way in."

"What have you been reading lately?"

He shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "Poetry. You know that."

"Hmm. Poetry, yeah right. Anyways, I guess what you say makes sense, but how am I going to tell her what I feel?"

Archie smiled and handed her the phone. "By standing up for yourself, and being brave enough to say you were wrong."

She smiled gently back and took it from him. He turned to leave. "Hey, Arch?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

He closed the door softly behind him, and Atlanta dialled her home phone number, trying to calm her nerves and ignore her shaking hands. She could fight against monsters and an evil god; she could do this.

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Yeah then you stand.  
**

Someone answered, and she was surprised to hear Abbi's voice on the other end of the line. "Umm, Abbi?" she asked tentatively. "Is Mom there?"

"Sure." Atlanta could hear Abbi rustling off somewhere in the background, but it wasn't Mom who came back to talk. It was her.

"Atlanta, we need to talk. I don't know what you're doing over there at your school, but I just wanted to say… I miss you."

"What? Abbi, is this some kind of joke?"

"No it isn't. I know I haven't always been the nicest person around, but it was because I was afraid of letting anyone get too close to me. Remember when I used to have braces when I was ten, before I got all 'mean'?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I was teased horribly."

"Why didn't you ever tell me? I would have stood up for you!"

"I was scared that the bullies would hurt you too. You were my sister; I needed to protect you."

Atlanta felt tears brimming in the corners of her eyes, and she tried desperately to swipe them away, but she felt too weak. All the strength she had been building up to speak to Mom was draining away as she heard her twin speak. Suddenly she realized just how much she had missed.

"I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too. But for letting me push you away. After that, I didn't let anyone get too close, for fear they would hurt me. Sadly, that included you. I tried out for the squad to be part of something that Mom always wanted for us. I made myself popular by getting in. I thought that would mean I would always have friends, so I forgot about you. I guess I became too over confident. I lost my best friend: my sister."

"Not anymore," Atlanta whispered. "I… love you Abbi."

"Love you too," her sister replied. "Now here's Mom."

Atlanta almost wanted to hang up; her heart was beating too much, and she felt nervous and fluttery, and all she wanted was to run away and process all the information she had been given. She wanted to decide whether or not she belonged to a sister as endearing as Abbi, or a mother who tried so hard to make sure Atlanta was raised right. But she had to stand up; she had to say what was on her mind.

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Yeah then you stand.  
**

"Mom…"

"Honey…"

"You can go first."

"All right. Mom, I'm sorry that I've shut you out of my life and taken you for granted. It's just that I'm not Abbi, and I never will be. I'm my own person, and if that means I'd rather hunt then be a cheerleader, that's the way it is. But I'll always be your daughter, whether or not you like it." She paused, and felt ashamed when she heard her mother sobbing.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Oh, it's not you, dear," Mom sniffed. "It's just that I've realized that I haven't always been fair to you. I'm sorry I always tried to get you to do things like trying out for the cheerleading squad; I just thought that was what all the popular girls did, and I didn't want you to not have any friends."

"Mom, it's not just that. You always tried to make me my sister in everything. It's like you loved her so much you wanted clones of her. In trying to be a part of my life, you made it miserable. If you had come to my races and cheered me on, maybe we wouldn't be having this conversation, and we'd have a better relationship."

**Everytime you get up  
And get back in the race  
One more small piece of you  
Starts to fall into place  
Ooohhh  
**

"You know, I believe you're right. I'm sorry I didn't see that before. You would have made a wonderful track runner."

Atlanta smiled, giddy that she had finally gotten through. She heard Athena calling her; it was time for supper. "Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow, Mom," she chirped. "I love you."

She placed the phone down gently, and then slowly started down to the kitchen, whistling. Her heart was as light as a feather, and she had stood up for herself, and just maybe had saved her relationship with her sister and mother. She felt like a hero. And that was exactly who she wanted to be.

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Then you stand  
Yeah then you stand.  
Yeah then you stand.  
Yeah baby  
ohhhhhhhhh  
ohhhhhhhhh  
ohhhhhhhhh  
ooohhhhhhh  
then you stand**


	3. Chapter 3

Black-trimmed tuxedos and long black dresses littered the church like filthy rags on a clean floor. Among an audience of hundreds was one lonely young boy whose childhood friend had been ripped away from him. Herry stood, tall and silent, as the choir began to sing her favourite song. He would have sung along, but he was trying not to cry.

Her name was Karraline, and she had been his best friend. She had big blue eyes like cornflowers, and tanned skin from working in the sun. She had blonde hair turned a ripe gold from the sun's rays, and she was charming, caring, rambunctious, spirited, and brave. That was everything he wanted to remember and everything he needed to forget. But he couldn't. And even if he did forget her, would the pain go away, just like that, or would there always be the hint of something missing from his heart?

He still had to attend the trial. The event which would decide the fate of her murderer, the teen who had decided to drink and drive, was taking place tomorrow. But he felt too numb inside to want to go. No matter what the penalty was, it wouldn't bring her back.

A single tear ran down his face as he remembered the night she had died. He had been escorting her back to her home after their grade-eight graduation, and he had been her date. He had experienced his first kiss and his first dance. The night had been wonderful, and now the gentle breezes of summer were cooling their necks as they rambled through the quiet streets of their hometown. They had only been about a block away when the truck had come screeching around the corner faster than you could blink, and before Herry could react, he was flying through the air from the force of the impact. Because of his great brawn and strength he had survived. But she, slender and delicate like the choice prairie rose, had not. He still wondered why.

**You feel like a candle in a hurricane  
Just like a picture with a broken frame  
Alone and helpless  
Like you've lost your fight  
But you'll be alright  
You'll be alright  
**

"And now friends will come and reminisce about this exceptional young woman," the minister was saying. Herry felt a subtle push as his mother prodded him along to the front of the pulpit, where he cleared his throat and nervously began to speak. As the words came out, he found himself relaxing, and he didn't stop the tears as they gushed forth like a flood.

"Karraline is the greatest friend you can ever find on earth," he said softly. "She is kind, caring, jolly, and can always make you laugh. I remember the day when I was first picked on for being scrawny. She stood up for me and taught me the meaning of brave, and she taught me the meaning of fight. And not the type of fight with your fists. She taught me the type of fight where you never give up yourself to become like everyone else, because there's always a chance that everyone else is wrong. She is wise, smart, endearing, and fun. And I love her. And even though she's… dead, she's not gone. She's inside every one of us, living in memories and the kindness we treat one another with."

He stopped speaking and stepped back to give someone else a turn, but the whole church was silent, and suddenly there burst forth a loud sob, and suddenly everyone was crying. Strangers turned to one another for comfort, the only link between them being that they had all known this girl named Karraline.

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Then you stand  
**

Herry was touched by the scene before him, and it made him realize just how many people had been affected by her death, and her life. A determination to see that her killers wound up behind bars surged up inside him, and he walked down the aisle towards his seat with a straight back and a manly pose. No more was he going to sit back and cry; he was going to stand up for Karraline when she could no longer stand up for herself.

Herry had always been strong; his brawn went beyond that of any mortal. Karraline had always joked about him being the descendant of Hercules. He smiled; that had been her favourite movie. She had always forced him to watch it with her, even though he had hated it. Hercules' life had seemed way too… cliché. He fought monsters, got the girl, and lived happily ever after. But now Herry realized that sometimes cliché is better than heartbreak.

The next day Herry was among the throng of people who filed into the courtroom. As one of the star witnesses of the accident, he was called to the stand many times throughout the day.

When the defence attorney came to question him, Herry looked straight into his small buggy eyes and dared him to ask him if he had actually seen anything.

The man stared back unblinkingly and asked Herry if he had not been too wrapped up in talking with Karraline that he didn't actually see anything.

"All I saw was a green truck screeching around the corner, racing towards us. Then all hell broke loose. I went flying through the air, and the last thing I remember is hearing her scream as the tires dug into her flesh, sucking the very life out of her. Later on, in the hospital, I wake up and discover that she died instantly, and I wasn't able to save her. Then I'm notified that you have already been hired to keep the two… _people_ who did this to her out of jail, and you're asking me the questions? Why would you want to help keep murderers out of jail?"

"I'm working for their rights, and I didn't say you could talk back to me," the attorney said heatedly.

"WELL, I'M TALKING BACK! AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, TOO DARN BAD! I LOST MY BEST FRIEND TO THOSE LOSERS!" Herry paused, breathless and overcome with emotion. "Imagine having something or someone so close to you, you thought it would be impossible for them to leave you," he said quietly. "Now imagine having that special someone taken away from you, and you couldn't do anything to save them. I know you'd be angry too. I'm not done grieving, but I am done listening to you. Karraline died at their hands, and if these people are too foolish to see it, then justice is perverse." Herry leapt up and marched off the stand, stalking back to his seat.

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Yeah then you stand.  
**

"Are you done your examination of this witness?" the judge asked, and the attorney nodded.

As the trial continued, all the other witnesses from the prosecution found the strength from Herry's example to state what they had seen and stick to their story without getting unnerved. Herry almost felt like trumpeting over his victory when the guilty sentence was read, and they would pay for their crime with twenty to thirty years in prison, except this didn't feel like a triumph. Karraline was gone; and that was all he wanted back.

But he knew that there was nothing more he could do; he had won justice for his family and friends, and when you're only mortal, that's all you can do.

That night Herry was walking down the same road Karraline and he had walked down the night of her death. Crickets chirped, and the same caressing breezes wove their way through his hair. He felt lonely and sad, but peaceful as well. He was no longer in torment about her death. He had come to accept the things he could not change, but he knew that he would live for her memories by always standing up for what was right, like she would have done.

**Everytime you get up  
And get back in the race  
One more small piece of you  
Starts to fall into place  
Ooohhh  
**

Karraline had been stronger than most realized; not in build like Herry was, but in heart. She had had the courage to do the right thing even when people would hate her for it. Herry clenched his fists. He wasn't the only one she had stood up for. She had stood up for all the rejects of society, weaving them into her own social circle so that they were no longer lonely. She had taught them all strength and fortitude, the things that make a true hero.

He glanced up at the sky, and almost fancied that there was a new constellation in the sky; one of a young maiden with a mallet of justice in her hand and the book of wisdom at her feet. He blinked and then it was gone, but it was comforting to think that maybe her memory was like a star, always twinkling, there if someone needs it, and very reassuring.

"I won't let you down, Karra," he promised, hoping that wherever she was, she could hear him. "I'll always stand for what's right, just like you'd want me to. I'll be your hero if nobody else's."

**Everytime you get up  
And get back in the race  
One more small piece of you  
Starts to fall into place  
Ooohhh  
**

Herry raced towards home, his vow strong in his mind and heart. He felt strong; not in body, but in spirit. He felt as though somehow Karraline had sprinkled some of her personality onto him, helping him to gather his courage and prepare to live without her. He sighed, but he wouldn't cry; Karraline wouldn't want him to. She'd tell him to perk up and laugh and smile his sweet smile, and enjoy life. He laughed then. He laughed and smiled and stopped running to laugh and grin up at the stars.

"This is for you, Karra!" he yelled. People passing by probably thought he was some kind of crazy maniac, but right then Herry felt light. He felt as though he could conquer the world. He had defeated the attorneys and he had won the fight against pain and hurt. He would go on to live for memories, because he was strong enough now to think of her with a smile, instead of crying. He would think of everything she had accomplished, and everything that she had left for HIM to finish. She had had inside strength, and now he had it too. And there was no way he was going to loose it.

**Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend, till you break  
Cause its all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad you get strong  
Wipe your hands shake it off  
Then you Stand,  
Then you stand  
Yeah then you stand.  
Yeah then you stand.  
Yeah baby  
ohhhhhhhhh  
ohhhhhhhhh  
ohhhhhhhhh  
ooohhhhhhh  
then you stand**

He started off for home, and up in the twinkling sky, a new constellation appeared; hung by the hands of the gods to commemorate a young woman: a maiden with the mallet of justice in her hand, and the book of wisdom at her feet, the sign of liberty for all, the rejected and the loved alike.

**A/n: Okay, I went a bit farther with this one than planned. Hope you like, even though it handled a very depressing issue. Sorry about that; something just drove me to do that. Please review! Luv, Becky**


End file.
